Oceaneering Entertainment Systems (OES), engineers at the cutting-edge of developments in theme park technologies, including dark ride vehicles and show systems, and an array of other custom solutions, presented a video case study of the development of their Tru-Trackless™ REVOLUTION™ Ride System at the prestigious Thea Awards Ceremony on April 5th.
VP/GM of Oceaneering Entertainment Systems, Dave Mauck accepted the prestigious Thea award for Breakthrough Technology for their Tru-Trackless™ REVOLUTION™ Ride System.
Mauck thanked many supporters for their support, including Disney Legend Bob Gurr, who was in attendance. Mauck then posed the question with regard to developing new technologies that support the creative efforts of Storytellers in themed attractions, “What if?” states Mauck. “To me, that means having the grit to change the status quo and do things differently.”
Mauck also thanked the TEA and the executive staff at Oceaneering International, Inc. for their continued support of the Entertainment Systems division.
As a recipient, Oceaneering was asked by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) to present a video during the acceptance of their award that would be inspiring, memorable and informative about the development process of the first of its kind TRU-TRACKLESS™ ride system.
"We saw two real options for the awards video, " says Matt Kent, Head of Creative Services for Oceaneering Entertainment Systems. "We could either do something expected and easily forgettable, or we could do something totally unexpected and memorable, and in the process, use the Thea Awards stage as a way to show people that we are a really fun group of people to work with. Plus, it's a party, and we wanted to have some fun."
Kent and Bill Bunting, Manager of Business Development for OES, paired up with Chief Storyteller at I.D.E.A.S. in Orlando, Florida, Bob Allen, to rough out a storyboard and script that would parody the engineering process that led to the development of Oceaneering's REVOLUTION trackless ride technology.
"We knew it would be important to the delivery of the 'gag' that the video appear to be a stereotypical representation of Oceaneering at first… Since we're a group of engineers, people typically expect us to be dry, humorless, straightforward, left-brained, " says Bunting. "And that stereotype allowed us to play against type to do something really effective and unexpected tonight. We wanted to change that stereotype with this effort and show our colleagues that the folks at Oceaneering are not only incredibly talented designers and engineers, but also that we really understand and embrace the idea of storytelling as the basis for all creative development. Our show and ride systems only really work in support of great stories.”
The video begins with a predictably solemn thank-you address by a complicit Oceaneering executive (AdTech SVP John Kreider), followed by a rich documentary about the development of Revolution featuring some Oceaneering engineers. The “documentary” is suddenly interrupted by a surprise 'taped-over' segment and comedic elements throughout. The final video is a play on the classic 'Oops, I taped over the Super Bowl' gag. And it played very well to the audience at the Thea Awards.
